Twisted Metal Heart - Eve Langlais Page 0,59
of trees. Some had skinny trunks slick and smooth, others were ridged and led to wide green fronds, and others had frothy mauve fluff. More concerning were the balls of brown, bigger than his head, hanging in clusters. Every so often one would fall and explode, the milk inside splattering. He noted the inner soft flesh of the previously fallen fruit untouched. A fair indication it couldn’t be consumed.
“Don’t eat those,” Riella confirmed a moment later, stretching on the back of the bike. “Unless you’re really starving or in need of losing weight.”
“What happens?”
“It takes the term laxative effect to a new level. Consume enough in one sitting, and by the time you’re done, only an empty suit of skin will be left behind.”
He grimaced. “Nasty. Anything else I should know?”
“I don’t recall. You should ask Alfred. I’ve only heard of the cocobutts. Usually found close to the ocean areas, along with crabs and clams. Which are edible.”
“Any good?”
“What makes you think I would know?” She swung off the vehicle and groaned. “That thing needs a better cushion.”
He grinned. “Need your ass massaged?” The teasing words surprised him as much as her.
“My ass is okay thanks.” Spoken most wryly. “Alfred, can you project what you’ve seen from above for us?”
The bird swooped and hovered. “Of course.” A beam of light shot out from him, coalescing into an aerial image.
“That’s us,” Titan remarked, pointing to a moving fleck breaking trail in the tall grass that separated marsh from forest.
“I went back and screwed with the lines after you passed,” Alfred noted. “Hopefully it will be enough to muddle if anyone sees.”
She pointed. “This forest isn’t very thick. Where it ends is rocky bluffs then a sheer drop to the sea.”
“Really?” He couldn’t help the lilt. He’d never seen an ocean before. Surely it didn’t stretch farther than the eye could see. Being out here was a reminder he’d never gone farther than the Emerald boundaries. Meanwhile there was a whole world to discover.
“It’s pretty to look at, but I wouldn’t advise going for a swim. It can be toxic to the system, and the denizens of the waters are always hungry.”
“You keep speaking as if you’re familiar with this area.”
“I’ve been around. Not this far up the coast, at least in recent years. I was taking a chance every time I left home that the queen would find out. Faking a death only works if the person you’re fooling keeps thinking you’re dead.”
The frank admission had him claiming, “You’re scared of her.”
“Terrified and, at the same time, angry. I hate her.” She glanced at him, a tired woman with dull eyes and voice. “She used me over and over as a child while, at the same time, denigrating my existence. She wanted to rid herself of me. My father stopped her. When she had him killed, I ran, and I vowed to never go back.”
“Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
She snorted. “It never came up. And it’s not something I talk about anyhow. Keep in mind, when I found you, I’d been gone a decade. The queen was my past, and I wanted to keep it that way.”
“Is it my fault she found you?” It hadn’t even occurred to him before.
“No. Alfred’s actually to blame for that one.”
“Me?” The startled exclamation led to the aerial image disappearing. “I was the one covering your tracks.”
“And leaving subtle irritating nudges to mess with her apparently. She noticed.”
“I can’t help it. I hate the woman.”
“I programmed you not to care.”
“I should go scout some more,” Alfred mumbled and fled.
“Will he betray you again?”
“I wouldn’t call it betraying, more a lack of judgement which isn’t entirely his fault. He is after all just a machine.”
“Just?” he scoffed.
“Doesn’t matter anymore. She won’t stop until she finds me.”
“Then she can’t find you. You need to disappear again,” he remarked.
“I know,” she said with a sigh. “But I really would rather stop. I hate the idea of spending my life always looking over my shoulder. Of hiding my child.” She raised her gaze to his. “I have a problem with our child never being able to live freely.”
“Then maybe we should do something.”
“Like what? The only way she’ll stop is if she’s dead.”
“We’ll find a way.” He would keep Riella safe. He drew her to him, and while she initially resisted, she melted into his arms. Where she belonged.
Fifteen
Being in his arms eased the tension coursing through her.
“This is nice,” she sighed against him. “We should pretend more